5 Ways Immigrants Are Hurting Under the Trump Administration

The Trump administration continues its efforts to detain and terrify those who live in America without proper documentation, and deportation efforts are only expanding as the president’s first year draws to an end. According to the Washington Post, deportations have escalated by 34 percent since the same period last year, placing entire communities in fear.

While the Obama era also included mass deportations, seldom were people targeted at schools, hospitals and courts, as has become the norm under President Trump. Operating without warrants, in many cases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents have gathered mothers, young children and even pregnant women for detention.

Here are just some of the latest atrocities enacted on undocumented immigrants in the U.S. – all under the guise of “keeping our country safe.”

1. 10-year-old girl detained when arriving at a hospital for lifesaving care

She was brought into the country as an infant, and was rushed to a hospital for emergency gallbladder surgery. Still, ICE followed a 10-year-old girl throughout her entire trip in order to detain her once she was released.

“The girl, Rosamaria Hernandez, who was brought over the border illegally to live in Laredo, Tex., when she was three months old, was being transferred from a medical center in Laredo to a hospital in Corpus Christi around 2 a.m. on Tuesday when Border Patrol agents stopped the ambulance she was riding in, her family said,” the New York Times reports. “The agents allowed her to continue to Driscoll Children’s Hospital, the family said, but followed the ambulance the rest of the way there, then waited outside her room until she was released from the hospital.”

Hernandez, who also has cerebral palsy, was brought into the country as an infant because her parents couldn’t afford her medical treatments in Mexico. Now, the U.S. is trying to turn its back on her, too.

2. Pregnant teen forced to remain pregnant against her will.

The 17-year-old unaccompanied minor known as Jane Doe eventually got the abortion she wanted — although it took almost a month, and many court hearings, to force the staff at her center to allow her to leave to visit the clinic. In the process Doe was allegedly harassed by workers, forced to undergo four ultrasounds, asked what she’d name her baby and otherwise coerced into remaining pregnant against her wishes. A judge’s order even agreed that she was mature enough to make the decision for herself.

3. Undocumented immigrants afraid to file for disaster aid because they might get deported.

Wildfires destroyed much of California in October, causing massive damage and displacing hundreds who lost their homes. But undocumented immigrants may not receive any aid or other assistance out of fear that their names may eventually reach federal agents who could deport them.

“‘We have heard from constituents who are eligible for aid — U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens — but are concerned that applying for FEMA assistance might expose their family members or neighbors to immigration enforcement,’ says [Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael]‘s letter, which was provided to The Chronicle,” The San Francisco Chronicle reports. “The language appears on a form that all those applying for benefits must sign, and it has been used for many years. It states that information ‘provided regarding my application for FEMA disaster assistance may be subject to sharing within the Department of Homeland Security, including but not limited to, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.’”

4. Arrests at work — and without warrants.

Some agents are hunting down suspected undocumented immigrants and even entering homes without warrants in order to apprehend them. This happened recently in Oregon, where a man was arrested while working in a painting crew. Agents claimed that because someone opened the door, they were allowed to enter without a warrant.

“Mat Dos Santos, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, said the video has enough information to show significant wrongdoing by the federal agents,” USA Today reports. “It also reflects a disturbing trend by ICE in targeting people for deportation while agents are dressed in plainclothes and not identifying themselves, Dos Santos added. ‘It’s all too common,’ Dos Santos said. ‘We see it time and time again where ICE officers actively engaged in pursuing someone show up in plain clothes, don’t display badges, and get incredibly aggressive when met with natural shock by those they are targeting.’”

5. Poverty, poor grades and more

And, of course, living in constant fear — of being arrested or having family arrested — is hitting children the hardest, according to a new report of immigration policy’s impact on children.

While children of immigrants make up less than a quarter of the nation’s population of children, they account for 30 percent of those from low-income families, the report says. They are also more likely to struggle in school. Only 8 percent of fourth-graders in immigrant families scored at or above proficient in reading in 2015 compared to 38 percent of children from non-immigrant families. And just 5 percent of eighth-grade children from immigrant families scored at or above proficient in math in 2015 compared to 34 percent of children from nonimmigrant families. The report used English-language learner status as a proxy for determining which students have immigrant parents.

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68 comments

Mary states... "You can't even get your mind around the idea that this shouldn't even be paid for by taxes. Health care, disaster relief, environmental protections, infrastructure costs, education and other training needs to be paid for direct from the U.S. treasury."
Really?!?!? Where exactly do you think the money in the Treasury comes from... manna from heaven? The Treasury is simply a bank that takes taxes collected from everywhere and pays it out wherever it goes. There is no magical repository filled with cash to used anytime for anything you want. When there is a deficit, it borrows money or prints it... neither of which is free or in the country's best interest. You need to learn more about how government works before making such statements.

Aaron F. The people that were killed and injured yesterday were a direct result of a Den. Obama, Chuck Schumer brainstorm diversity immigration program where people were selected on a lottery, rather than their skill qualification and risk factors.

The Ruling class and Fake News didn't lose any loved ones so they will continue to push for open borders to retain power and dependency from the voters.

Paul B, My argument stands with more strength than any of your kind will ever feel. If your immediate and over whelming reaction to reading things like this isn't for the well being of the people, but instead for concern for the cost, and the laws, and any other mental construct , then you will NEVER find ways to do what needs to be done for who needs it instead of prioritizing who 'should get help and who shouldn't', as if you're capable of figuring that out. You can't even get your mind around the idea that this shouldn't even be paid for by taxes. Health care, disaster relief, environmental protections, infrastructure costs, education and other training needs to be paid for direct from the U.S. treasury. How are we gonna get there from here? I don't know, but first you have to want to go and insist on that end result. How many centuries of sickness, dispare, fear and poverty will you allow before you say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !

As for the hospitalized 10-year-old, who is paying for all her hospitalizations and treatments? Cerebral palsy - like all chronic illnesses - isn't cheap. Of course we empathize with sick children and their families. However, there are many American families currently struggling with healthcare costs and getting/keeping insurance. How is it fair to ignore their needs, while providing it all for someone who isn't even here legally?

If the children of illegal immigrants live in fear, they should blame their parents for putting them in that situation - NOT the government. Every country in the world has immigration laws. Why is it "unjust" only in the U.S.?

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